School District To Be Audited
By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

Representatives from the New York State Comptroller's Office will begin their audit of the Garden City School District this week, announced School Board President Kenneth Monaghan at the Dec. 17th Board of Education meeting.

In an effort to increase accountability in school districts and strengthen oversight of school finances across New York State, the comptroller's office initiated a program in 2004 to review finances and operations in all school districts, BOCES and charter schools statewide. In the early 1980s, regular audits by the state comptroller were discontinued when school districts were required to secure an outside auditor. Monaghan said two to three people will be in the district for several months.

In other district financial news, the Board accepted a $500 gift from Exxon Mobil to purchase cardiovascular equipment for the health and wellness center at the Middle School. Physical Education teacher Wendy Logue had applied for the grant as part of the company's annual Educational Alliance Grant Program. This is the fifth year the district has been selected. Harvinder Singh, owner of Mobil on the Run on Stewart Avenue, nominated Garden City Middle School to receive one of the 4,000 grants available nationwide.

The school board entered into an agreement with Nassau BOCES to provide Connect Ed, an automated communication system that will notify parents, faculty and staff via e-mail and telephone in case of an emergency. The district will pay $20,000 for the system, which is expected to be operational in the spring. Superintendent Dr. Robert Feirsen encouraged parents to update their contact information by downloading a form found on the district Web site.

Dr. Feirsen was excited to report that Dr. Mel Levine will speak to faculty and paraprofessionals at Superintendent's Conference Day on February 29th. The night before in the Middle School auditorium, Dr. Levine, a pediatrician and co-founder and co-chair of All Kinds of Minds, will offer a workshop for parents. He helps parents, teachers and students appreciate differences in learning. For more information, visit www.allkindsofminds.org.

Dr. Feirsen said he has contacted the editors of an article recently published in U.S. News & World Report, which lists the top high schools in the country. Garden City did not make the list, and Dr. Feirsen is flummoxed and would like an explanation since he believes that using their criteria, such as AP exams and Regents scores, the high school should have been included.

The date of the next meeting of the Board of Education has been changed from Jan. 22 to Jan. 28 in the high school library. A work session will be held on Jan. 14th.